C-PRONE/ Chaperone - Circular Procurement Network
ProCirc aims to promote a successful up-scale and rollout of the results from ProCirc to other procuring agencies, suppliers and supply chains. Even beyond the duration of the ProCirc project. To achieve this, one of the activities is to set up C-PRONE, a permanent structure for an umbrella network (or platform), connecting initiatives on circular procurement.C-PRONE is an acronym for Circular Procurement Network and it can be pronounced as 'chaperone' which in many languages means something like friendly supportive companion. The meaning of chaperone is a strong suggestion for what the platform should stand for: sharing and supportive to its participants.
There is a growing number of countries, regions and cities actually experimenting with circular procurement but there is no overarching body, network or platform to facilitate 'inter-initiative' sharing of insights and experiences. Initiatives to share between projects are ad hoc, often based on personal connections and accidental collaboration in international projects. With ProCirc we had the same experience, there is no 'one stop' first guidance on what is going on, which tools are available, who is working on which aspects, what has been done before, et cetera. That's why we added 'dissemination after the project' as a deliverable and aim to set up C‑PRONE as an umbrella for circular procurement initiatives to create a structural sharing platform and bridge this gap. C-PRONE aims to enable and facilitate international sharing between the existing networks and initiatives and individual participants.
In our perspective C-PRONE should grow towards an autonomous collaboration, coordinated and managed by its participants and funded by international organisations and governments. The initiative to start it up comes from ProCirc but in the future C-PRONE is envisioned to be an autonomous entity, known as the first source for anybody who want to get engaged in circular procurement.
Aims and goals of C-PRONE
C-PRONE aims to facilitate capturing and sharing of the latest experiences and insights on three levels:
1. Exchange of knowledge and build new alliances
- Facilitate direct exchange of insights and best practices between C-PRONE participants by several online means and one or two physical meetings/seminars per year.
- Organise the International Circular Procurement congress for countries, regions and cities but also companies and NGOs to enable and facilitate their sharing and learning processes. Preferably integrated in or back-to-back with ICLEI's Procura+ congress, since that is the international congress for sustainable, circular and innovative procurement. This way we avoid a lot of international traveling.
- Facilitate new collaborations and alliances for future projects and initiatives about circular procurement.
2. Body of knowledge
Establish an online body of knowledge for circular procurement, disclosing insights, tools, best practices and lessons learned from running and finished initiatives and projects, targeting anybody getting involved in circular procurement initiatives. The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) is a virtual open space that is used to exchange expertise, good practices, knowledge and lessons learned in the circular economy. The ECESP appears to be the perfect online space for this aim.
3. Agenda setting
Through the exchange of insights and best practices the platform will have the practice based authority to address specific issues and topics that are important to consider or discuss at the level of local, regional and national government and/or by the European Commission and its advisory groups.
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Photo by Clinton Martel on Unsplash